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Each day and night NHS heroes across the county - and the UK - are working tirelessly to care for the sick, offer comfort and save lives.

The coronavirus pandemic has swept to all corners of the country and there is no escaping it inside our A&E departments or our ICU units.

However, the staff, whether it's ambulance drivers, junior doctors, nurses, health care assistants and carers (as well as many more), are still putting on their uniform before each shift and heading into work despite the risk.

And they really are at risk.

That's where this Essex company comes in. They are desperately appealing for help from the public to raise money to continue to make essential face shields to protect our NHS staff working on the frontline against Covid-19.

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Rivenhall-based company, Stealth Mounts, offered to use their injection moulding systems to produce high-quality face shields for NHS staff just a few weeks ago - having no idea just how crucial their services would be.

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"The 3D printers literally print layer upon layer of plastic on top of another. You can draw something on the computer and print and there's no other costs.

"Injection moulding you have to have a tool made out of steel. To make that tool it cost £6,000 and that's the problem with injection moulding is you can't do it for a one-off, if you want to make lots of it then it's viable.

"We have to mould that tool and then it goes into the machine and we inject liquid plastic which is rapidly cooled.

"It produces one every 27 seconds - that's the difference. They are also stronger than plastic."

"We have the ability to keep making them but not the money"

Using injection moulding is dramatically quicker than 3D printing

Mark said: "We were really lucky that we were able to talk to a professor of respiratory diseases and take advice for the design and we followed the guide lines for the shields that are approved.

"The problem is that we are going to run out of funding. We have 16,000 shields going to hospitals this week and 10,000 provided to care homes. That's 26,000 shields by Monday, (April 20), and we are going to run out of funds.

"We have the ability to keep making them but not the money."

Alongside his two other colleagues, Sam Whitney and Tom Chapman, they have been making and delivering the shields to hospitals, paramedic teams and care homes across Essex and wherever else needs help.

NHS Thanks a Million

It is something that has, at some point, touched all our lives.

From cradle to grave, the National Health Service, and the incredible professionals within it who care for us, is a part of British life.

Today, more than ever, we should cherish those who dedicate themselves to our care, heedless of own health as they work tirelessly to care for people in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

We have never needed our doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other carers more.

So let’s show them some love, and create a living map of gratitude from every corner of Britain - visit www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk to drop a heart on the map wherever you are in the world.

By dropping a heart on the map, you’re saying you appreciate the efforts undertaken daily in the NHS.

Thanks a million, NHS workers - we love you.

But they urgently need support, or they won't be able to continue to deliver the masks that help save lives.

"The NHS supply chain is being painfully slow," Mark said.

"We are registered on the governments' website, it says what we do and cost and we have contacted 20 different county councils who said they will get back to us.

"We will get to the stage where we have the ability to make them but not the money for the materials and we have to turn off the machines.

"We are working full time with no pay which we are happy to do but the material costs we can't.

"We can't do that, we don't have it, and when we can't even do our normal products so it is a double whammy."

"Many people are in tears"

Next week they will send out 26,000 to hospitals and local care homes but they desperately need more funding

For every £1, they could give a NHS worker a potentially life-saving shield.

And there is no denying that they are desperately needed.

"I spoke to someone who was working in an ICU and she said they had no face shields," he said.

"She was on an ICU unit working with people on respirators and she didn't have a face shield. We had another story of someone who wanted to buy some shields for his daughter who was a paramedic who had been giving swimming goggles to wear on shift."

When they have handed over the face shields to NHS staff, the response has often been emotional.

Mark added: "Many people are in tears to be honest. We were sent a picture of ICU nurses wearing them and it really makes it real.!